Headlight for motor vehicles



Aug., 10 1926;

R. B. STIERT HEADL'IGHT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March 14, 1925 INVENTOR E1515 T/E.

ATTORNEYS i projecting light asv from an incandescent Patented na 10, 1926.

UNITED STATES RALPE BERNARD STIERT,

PATENT OFFICE. j

or sAPULrA', OKLAHOMA.

HEADLIGHT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

. Application. filed March 14,

, My invention relates to improvements in headlights for motor vehicles, .and it consists in the combinations, constructions. and

arrangementshereindescribed and claimed.

An object of my invention'is toprovide headlights of the character described in' which two sources of light and two reflectors are employed in each unit one above the which is durable in construction and which is thoroughly practical for the purpose intended. p 1

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specificatiomand the novel features of the invention will be perticularlyi ointed out in the appended claim. 7

My invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part'of this application, in which- Figure fis a front elevation of an embpdiment of my invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation'of the device shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view along the line 83 of Figure 1, and I 4 Figure & isa sectional view along the line 4:& of Figure 2.

Incarrying out my invention I make use I of an elongated casin 1 having curved top and bottom walls. K pair of reflectors 2 and 3 are mounted one above the other within the casing 1. The curvature of the top and bottom walls of the casing is substantially that-of. the curvature of the adjacent edges of the reflectors 2 and 3 which are circular. The reflector 2 is parabolic in cross section. This reflector has the property of electric lamp bulb 4 disposed therein to a point some distance ahead of the casing 1 in parallel rays. The reflector 3 is shallow and 5 has the properties of projecting light as from an incandescent bulb 5 disposed there- .the hood.'

192's.- s'eriai a... 15,644. I

into a point near the casing l in diverging rays.

' Each of the incandescent bulbs 4 and 5 are nounte'd in suitable sockets 6 which-are connected by, means ofconductor wires 7 to a current source such as the storage bat- Y tery with which the motor vehicle is usually equipped. Suitable switches, not shown, are employed for" operating the lamps 4 and 5 selectively and-simultaneously at will;

A glass lens 8 is disposed at the frontv of the casing 1 and in front of the-reflectors 2 and 3 and securedagainst movement relative thereto. The glass 8 is providedwith vertical fiutings 9 for causing slight diffusion of rays of light reflected from the reflectors 2 and'B and from the ISJIIPSA: and 5, respectively. It should be understood that while Ihave shown and described a lens glass 8 with-vertical flutings that anytype of lens glass for ro'perly distributing light so as not to pro uce a' glare to drivers of vehicles approachingthe vehicle equipped with my headlights may be used to equal advantage.

- 1 Means forfurther assisting in projecting the rays from thelamps 4' and 5 respec tively to the relative positions and distances from the vehicle described and for stopping a projection of stray lightrays-is provided in a hood 10 which is hingedly mounted. at 11 to the casing 1 at the top. This hood 10, as referrnce to Figure 1 will indicate, has

substantially the same contour at that point adjacent the casing as the casing, and adjacent to its outermost ends 12 -has a substantially rectangular cross sectional contour.

The end '12 of the hood is inclined as shown in Figure 2 so that the upper wall overhangs thelower wall by several inches.

-A plain clear glass 13-is mounted inthe outer end 12 of thehood so as to exclude dust, mud and the like from the interior of the outer end is substantially rectangular while at' the innermost is that shown in Figure 4, the rounded top and bottom walls being gradually diminished as the outer end is approached. i r I The entire inner wall of the hood 10 with the exception of those-portions between the letters c :r and y-y is provided with a coating of material for reflecting light such as niokelor silver plate. The portions confined between the letters Ia-fir and y- 2 are dull and are not intended to serve as reflecting surfaces.

The'ho'od is secured against movement relative to the casing 1 by the provision of a bolt which is projected through a lug 16 carried by the casing land into the hood 10.

The hood 10. is fashioned to partially receive the outermost end of the casing 1, as shown at 17 thereby preventing the ad mission of moisture and the like to the interior of the hood.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operations thereof may be readily understood. My

improved'headlight for motor vehicles is intended for use in pairs in precisely the same position on the vehicle as theordinary type of headlight, and with a suitable electric current source and circuit including switches for controlllng and operating the lamps 4 and 5 separately.

When the lamp 4 alone is illuminated,-

light therefrom is transmitted and projected from the reflector 2 through the'lensglass 8 insubstantially parallel rays to a point greater than fifty feet (in the present embodiment of the invention) in front of the vehicle, and for a long distance ahead upon the road so that the driver may see the road clearly a long distance in front of-the' vehicle.

The upper portion of the hood 10 above the partition 14 serves to confine and pre vent the transmission of stray rays of light in any other direction than that just described.

' The lamp 4 is normally; used when driving in the open country and where motor vehicles are not approaching from the opposome distance ahead, since usually driving site direction. and where it is very essential that the road be brightly illuminated for under such conditions permits greater speed of the vehicle.

Let us assume "however that a vehicle is I means approaching from the opposite direction, and that the vehicle is upon a rural road out of the city limits. The' light from the lamp 4 will not blind the driver of the approaching vehicle, because of the peculiar construction of the hood 10 which prevents the projection of rays to a point above or on a level with the drivers seat in the approaching vehicle. It is well to note at this point that ordinaryv headlights focused at a distance in front of the vehicle must be dimmed upon the approach of a vehicle in I an opposite direction so as not to endanger the safe approach of, the approaching vehicle. Thus both the lamps 4.- and 5' may i be kept in continuous illuminationfor rural driving, thus saving the driver of the vehicle from continually turning on and off his long distance lamps, which is particularly tlresome upon long journeys.

It is readily apparent that the inclination of the shaft of light from the lamp.

5 is so sharp as to preclude all possibility of blinding the driver of the approaching vehicle. i

It should be noted, of course, that the lamp -5 may be kept in operation all the time that the vehicle is in use and always for-city driving where the lamp 5 alone is employed, since traflic in large cities is so great that the use of a long distanceheadlight which must necessarily project a shaft of light above the cowl of the approaching vehicle at some point therealong is prohibited and usually expressly prohibited by ordinance.

I claim:

A headlight comprising a casing, a re flector mounted in said casing, a second reflector mounted'insaid casing, a hood carried bysaid casing and confining the projected rays of light from the reflectors to a predetermined area, a partition disposed in said hood and being positioned between the reflectors, a diffusing .lens disposed in front of said reflectors, whereby the rays from said reflectors'will be diffused by said lens, thus causing the rays to be reflected 

